Joseph said gravely, “What should we look for?”
“As a result of the concussion, Mr. Darcy is experiencing confusion, nausea, drowsiness and more headaches than usual. These symptoms, as well as some sporadic vomiting and, of course, the memory loss are commonly associated with these injuries. On the other hand, should he begin to exhibit more serious symptoms, you should send for me without delay. Unconsciousness, convulsions, muscle weakness, pupils that are not equal in size, repeated vomiting and unusual eye movements are considered dangerous. His balance issue should get better with exercise. If it does not, bring it to my attention.”
“I shall put paper and ink on a table in the sitting room for all the caretakers to record their observations, as well as a list of the symptoms that warrant immediate concern.”
The physician chuckled. “I see you know your nephew well, for Mr. Darcy would attempt to read it if it was in his bedroom.”
“Exactly.”
“Also, I realise it is not my place to say this, but I have noticed that Miss Darcy seems eager to discredit Mrs. Darcy.”
“My wife told me what happened last night, so all of us plan to keep watch over Georgiana, especially when she is with Fitzwilliam.”
“I think that is wise, under the circumstances.”
DOWNSTAIRS
Whilst the family and Mr. Camryn were upstairs, a large, black coach, pulled by matching sets of black stallions, traversed the long drive to the front of Pemberley. The Earl and Countess of Matlock had been at their country estate in Derbyshire and, upon receiving the express informing them of Darcy’s injury, had struck out for their nephew’s estate almost immediately. Worried sick about Fitzwilliam, the closer they got to their destination, the more Lady Matlock dreaded what might come. Fearful that her husband would not hold his tongue, she cautioned him one last time.
“Please remember, Edward, this is not our home, and you have no right to be unkind to Fitzwilliam’s guests, even if you have had disputes with them in the past.”
“Must you remind me again, Evelyn? I am not totally without good sense. If my nephew were not gravely injured, I would never have come with them here. But since I must, I will try to be civil. Let us hope that Joseph will do likewise.”
“Thank you, dear.” Pondering whether to voice what else she was thinking, Lady Matlock decided it could do no harm. “Have you considered that this is an opportune time to let bygones be bygones? We are not young anyone, and it may be the last time you see your brother.”
“Do not start with that. I have too much on my mind to consider our broken relationship.”
“Yes, dear.”
Suddenly, the coach rocked to a stop and the door opened. As a footman let down the steps, the earl began his exit. Then he looked to the portico to see the front door open and Mr. Walker appear. After helping the countess to the ground, they turned to ascend the steps.
“Lord Matlock, Lady Matlock, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Walker said.
“Thank you, Walker,” the earl said. “I wish to see my nephew as soon as it is feasible. Is Mrs. Darcy available?”
“They are all upstairs at present,” Walker said, busily accepting hats and cloaks and handing them to a maid. “If you do not mind waiting in the library, I shall be happy to locate Mrs. Darcy.”
“That will not be necessary, we can—”
“We shall be happy to wait in the library,” Lady Matlock interrupted, taking her husband’s arm.
The earl gave her a scowl, but began to escort her in that direction. Breathing a sigh of relief, Walker rushed up the grand staircase to let the Fitzwilliams know that they had arrived. He soon found Joseph Fitzwilliam and Mr. Camryn, who had just exited Mr. Darcy’s room.
“The Earl and Countess of Matlock have arrived,” the butler announced. “Should I disturb Mrs. Darcy?”
Joseph took a deep breath. “Let me inform her.” Then he said to the physician, “Might you be able to stay long enough to explain Fitzwilliam’s condition to his aunt and uncle?”
“Certainly.”
THE LIBRARY
Despite the length of time the earl and countess had been waiting, they had not been able to relax. Instead of being seated on one of many sofas or chairs, both had taken up positions on the far side of the room where floor-to-ceiling windows provided an excellent view of the gardens. Because the library was vast and the carpet thick, Lord and Lady Matlock were totally unaware when Joseph, Olivia, Elizabeth and Mr. Camryn quietly entered the room. Exchanging glances with her company, Elizabeth tilted her head and simultaneously raised her shoulders, as if to imply that she had no choice, and she walked toward her guests, whilst the others lingered behind.
“Aunt? Uncle?”
The earl and countess turned, immediately looking past her to the Fitzwilliams before their eyes settled again on Elizabeth. Lady Matlock went forward to hug her niece.
“Oh, Elizabeth, how sad it is to be drawn together by so terrible a circumstance.”
Tears threatened when Elizabeth replied, “I... I am so sorry as well.”
The earl stepped closer, asking tersely, “How is Fitzwilliam faring?”
Elizabeth turned to motion Camryn forward. “Mr. Camryn can explain better than I.”
After the physician had gone over the details of William’s injury and answered all their questions, he explained that he had to leave, and he made his exit. With his departure, Elizabeth joined the Fitzwilliams, standing between them and taking each by a hand.
“I could not have coped without the help of Uncle Joseph and Aunt Olivia. Uncle was instrumental in bringing Will back home and ever since has shared the burden of sitting up with him, just as Aunt Olivia has.”
The earl and Joseph had locked eyes while she was speaking, and when she was finished, a strange thing happened. Lord Matlock offered a hand to his brother, which was immediately grasped. As they shook hands, the earl said, “Evelyn and I are indebted. Fitzwilliam means a great deal to us.”
“Just as he does to Livy and me.”
Suddenly Georgiana rushed into the room. “Aunt! Uncle! I was just informed that you were here.” Kissing first one, then the other on the cheek, she declared, “I am so relieved, for I have tried to make it clear that you would insist on taking Brother to London for treatment, but they will not listen. He cannot possibly receive the best care in Derbyshire when there are more learned physicians in Town.”
Elizabeth spun around. “As I said before, Georgiana, Will is not going to be moved.”
“But you used his unconsciousness as the excuse and now that he is awake—”
“Will loves Pemberley, and I know that he will recuperate faster here.”
As Georgiana seethed, Elizabeth addressed Lord and Lady Matlock. “I have sent to London for Mr. Graham. Between him and Mr. Camryn, I believe my husband will be well served, and should he require any experts, I will send for them as well.”
“Tell her that she is mistaken, Uncle! She must allow us to take Brother to Town.”
The earl’s brow knit at Georgiana’s defiant stance. “Georgiana, you have evidently assumed that because I have disagreed with your brother regarding certain things that I will challenge his authority or Elizabeth’s. You are badly mistaken. I will not allow you to challenge their authority, either. Elizabeth is the mistress at Pemberley, and decisions regarding Fitzwilliam’s care fall to her.”
Looking as though she had been slapped, Georgiana’s face crimsoned, and her lips set in a thin line before she ran from the room.
Elizabeth began to speak. “I am sorry about—”
The earl held up a hand. “It is I who should apologise for letting Georgiana think she had my ear. Now, would it be possible to see my nephew?”
Chapter 39
Sheffield
The next day
Everything was wearing on Andrew Darcy’s nerves of late—his cramped room at the Crown Inn, the dreadful food and even the mindless women at Lily’s Pleasure Gard
en. George had spent yesterday evening there without him, for whilst Wickham had no trouble forgetting what had transpired in Derbyshire, he could not. Never doubting that Richard would know exactly who was to blame for Fitz’s injury and with nothing to do but wait, the colonel came to mind more and more. So much so, that he had thought of Richard at a most inopportune time when he was last at Lily’s. Unable to perform, he quickly decided to forego visiting the ladies, rather than chance being humiliated for a second time. All of this combined to keep Andrew’s temper on edge.
“George, what were you thinking by bringing a whore to our room last night? I have not had a full night’s sleep since Fitz was shot, and I had just fallen asleep when you roused me to go downstairs so that you could have the bed.”
Carefully shaving himself at the mirror over the dresser, Wickham stopped to look at Andrew’s reflection. “After leaving the brothel, I met a local woman who wanted to have a good time—so I obliged.” Then he snickered. “You are just angry that the ladies like me better.”
Though he had not shared his emasculating issues with George, the taunt was too close to home. “I can have any woman that I want,” Andrew said with great vexation. “However, at present, I am too worried about safeguarding my life to pursue women every waking moment and, frankly, you should be more worried for yourself.”
George splashed water on his face to remove the soap. Then he preened as he dried his face, examining his image closely. “I am never too worried to forego a bit of muslin.”
At that instant there was a knock on the door and, for a moment, both stood immobilised. Then Andrew, who was nearest the door, cracked it open slightly. A small boy, one of the innkeeper’s brood, stood without.
“What do you want?”
“This came for you, sir.”
The boy held out a letter, and when Andrew took it, he kept his palm extended. Irritated, Andrew reached for a farthing lying on a table and tossed it to the lad, who promptly disappeared.
“What is it?”
As Andrew turned to show Wickham the missive, his hand trembled. “It is a letter from Susan.” However, when he made no attempt to open it, it was snatched from his hand. “What are you doing? That is mine.”
“And apparently you are too cowardly to open it, so I must.”
Though furious, Andrew made no move to retrieve his property, and George ripped the seal open and began to read silently. When his expression darkened, however, Andrew could no longer suppress his curiosity.
“Wha... what does she have to say?”
“It seems that blasted fool is still alive.”
“Bloody blazes! I am a dead man!” Andrew exclaimed. “Fitz will think it was I who shot him. Richard may already be on our trail, and if he finds me, it would be better to face the hangman’s noose.”
“Calm down! According to Susan, Georgiana says that Fitz cannot remember anything about how he was injured. This just alters our plans. That is all.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are correct. If Fitzwilliam remembers you were there, Richard will have all the evidence he needs to hang you, therefore, it is imperative that you leave England. Since it is likely that I will be tied to the deed as well, I must go, too.”
“You should be tied to it! You shot him, not me!”
“That is neither here nor there. The fact is that we both must leave England as quickly as possible. The only problem is a lack of funds. I do not want to sail with only the clothes on my back, and I do not think you do, either.”
“It is too dangerous to resume robbing coaches with the extra lawmen watching the highways since the footman’s death,” Andrew replied.
“It would take too long to rob enough coaches, anyway. Given that we still have funds, all we need are jewels to sell once we reach our destination. They are easy to hide inside the linings of coats and luggage, unlike thousands of pounds would be.”
“And where do you intend to get said jewellery?”
“Since we must do everything post-haste, I say that we stick to a pigeon that we know has a fortune in family jewels—Fitzwilliam.” Having said that, Wickham immediately reached under the bed to fetch his bag and began filling it with items he had placed on the dresser and in the drawers.
Andrew noisily blew out a lungful of air. “And here I thought you were serious. Fitz would never hand over the Darcy jewels, and we cannot possibly slip into Pemberley unnoticed.”
“Fitzwilliam will gladly hand them over if we take a member of his family and hold that person for ransom.”
“You are mad! What you propose will only put us in more danger! I do not want to be any closer to Pemberley than we are at present.”
“Nor do I, but I refuse to leave England a pauper. Do you have a better strategy?”
When Andrew did not answer, Wickham added indignantly, “I thought as much. Fine! Stay here and wait for Colonel Fitzwilliam to come for you. A portion of the ransom will convince Denny and the others to help me. By the time Fitzwilliam realises what has happened, I shall be in the Americas, whilst you are left to face him.”
“You have me so befuddled, I cannot think rationally. What if, after exchanging the hostage for the ransom, we are arrested before our ship can sail?”
“That part is simple. We keep the location of the hostage a secret until after our vessel is underway. As long as Darcy’s loved one is under our power, he will not dare bring the law down upon us. Right before we sail, a letter will be mailed detailing where the hostage can be found. Should Fitzwilliam attempt to track us later, at least we will have a substantial head start.”
“Who would you take? Georgiana?”
“No. Since she has always been partial to you, Darcy would likely consider that a hoax. We shall take his new wife.”
“Have you forgotten Fitz’s loss of memory? He may be too confused to handle a ransom demand.”
“That is why we must return to Derbyshire. Once there, we can monitor how he fares. Hopefully, he will have improved enough by the time everything is in place that we will be able to deal with him. If not, it shall fall to Colonel Fitzwilliam to follow our orders for the hostage’s sake.”
“But what if Richard is not at Pemberley?”
“I cannot believe you think that Richard would not rush to Pemberley after learning of Darcy’s injury. After all, they are more brothers than cousins.”
“And you think he will just step in and handle the exchange?”
“Richard projects a stern image, but he is much like his cousin in one area. He would think nothing of exchanging a few baubles to gain the freedom of a loved one.”
“A few baubles? The Darcys have a fortune in diamonds alone. I know, for Uncle George once showed them to me.” Andrew heaved a sigh. “I still do not like this idea, George. Richard is much more dangerous than my cousin.”
“Then let us be glad that he does not scare me,” Wickham boasted. “Now, get to packing. We are off to Lambton. We must be ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.”
“I would not be surprised if Pate’s farm is already under surveillance.”
“That will not matter. I have decided that Lady Susan must secrete us at Monthaven Manor until we complete our mission. Lord Concord has a hunting cabin that he abandoned after his accident. It will be the perfect hiding place.”
“And if she does not want to help?”
“She will. She and I share a past that a lot of people would be interested in learning about.”
“Am I allowed to know what it entails?”
“It is best that you do not. I will only say that if the details were known, it would put a hangman’s noose around her pretty little neck.”
“And your neck as well, I imagine.”
“Yes. But what she desires is here in England, whereas I can be happy living anywhere in the world. I could leave the country and send the evidence back via post, if she declines to aid us. And she knows that I would.”
“I feel it is best that I
do not know the particulars, then.”
“You see! You have gotten smarter just by being around me.”
PEMBERLEY
That evening
The presence of the earl and countess had only added to the tension at Pemberley. Though Lord Matlock was civil to his brother, he had ignored Olivia, which had not set well with her husband; thus, while the Matlocks visited with their nephew, the Fitzwilliams spent the day in the gardens, the library and their rooms. After the earl’s rebuke, Georgiana had sulked in her own rooms, sending word that a tray should be sent to her at dinner, as she had no intention of coming downstairs. Unfortunately for her, this caused no great concern among the rest of her relations.
Having travelled that morning, Lord and Lady Matlock declined to come downstairs for dinner, and trays were sent to their rooms as well. Therefore, dinner found only Elizabeth, the Fitzwilliams and Mr. Camryn at the dining room table, which, if the truth were known, suited each one of them. Being sorely exhausted from days with nerves on edge and little sleep, conversation was sparse, leaving Elizabeth plenty of time to consider what she would do next.
While the earl and his wife had occupied William’s time, Elizabeth stayed busy in her study, working on the coats for the children. Having made the decision earlier not to visit her husband until everyone was asleep, she prayed all day that William might recover at least a trace of his memory regarding her. Nevertheless, as the day progressed, feelings of grief and longing submerged her into a deep melancholy. She ached to see William, but was terrified of discovering the same blank stare that she encountered last night. Since consummating their marriage, his eyes never failed to light up the moment he saw her, and to see no recognition in them now broke her heart.
Darcy and Elizabeth--A Most Unlikely Couple Page 64